Neo
by spicycinnamonsugar
Summary: All was well in the world before they came. They enslaved us, tortured us, and tested us. They stole everything from us and yet we fight to reclaim our earth before its too late. But when all hope seemed lost, our very lives were held in the hands of one boy. Neo. [idea for this story came from the Host and my own words/characters] (I DO NOT OWN THE HOST)
1. Guinea Pig

Ever heard the saying "when life gives you lemons you make lemonade" ? You know how sour a lemon is? Yet they tell us to make lemonade out of it. Personally I'm not a big fan of lemonade to begin with, honestly I'd rather eat the lemon. Thing is, when life came back from the grocery store, it gave me some fucking awful lemons. I'm surprised I'm not dead to be honest, to tell you the truth I wish I was...sometimes I would wake up now and then before I'd pass out or Maybe I was just dreaming, but I remember hearing that god awful scream that echoed through the halls and I knew I was in hell.

They told me I need to respond to these questions everyday, some kind of experiment I guess. I have no idea what I got myself into. All I know is, it doesn't matter what happens to me as long as they are safe. The screen in my cell flashed blue and I received my first question;

* * *

Sunday June 14 - who are you?

0900 hours

 ** _I'm supposed to talk about myself I guess, not much to know really. I'm Robin Schwartz, I served in the air force for 3 years before I got shot out of the sky. I have two beautiful children, well had, and one on the way. My wife...still as beautiful as the day I first saw her..._**

 ** _I remember when you came. How you destroyed everything. You enslaved us. Tortured us. Massacred millions. You ripped me away from my family. I may be away from them, but mark my words. You so much as lay a hand on them, you even think about breaking our deal, I'll destroy the whole solar system just to make sure your race is extinct._**

 ** _Mark my words._**

* * *

Sunday June 14 - previous test inconclusive- who are you?

1300 hours

 ** _Didn't like that huh? I can live without food. Clearly you don't know who you are dealing with._**

* * *

Monday June 15 - how do you feel?

0700 hours

 ** _It's been over 12 hours since I had food, clearly a punishment. Gotta admit I am getting hungry... This stale cardboard box of a room is more bland than a bowl of cornflakes. To think I actually miss paying taxes... I can't sleep without dreaming about them, that night. You raided our city, fire consumed everything. I remember the screams that you ignored. I remember the roaring of your ships how they made my heart pound. The smell of the sewers._**

 ** _I'm supposed to answer how I'm feeling._**

 ** _Hungry._**

 ** _But really how am I feeling?_**

 ** _Read between the lines._**

 ** _Figure it out._**

* * *

Tuesday June 16 - why did you escape?

0800 hours

 ** _Well staying in place when your race is going through a mass genocide sounds perfectly normal. Why wouldn't I want to die? I honestly don't know why I tried to escape. Wake up and smell the gun powder boys. Get a fucking clue._**

 ** _Thursday June 18 - solve this problem: [5(36)] + sin(15) = X - cos(72)_**

 ** _1400 hours_**

 ** _I see them. I see their faces. I hear their voices. They torture me.._.**

* * *

Thursday June 18 - solve this problem: [5(36)] + sin(15) = X - cos(72)

1500 hours

 ** _I don't care about math. I can only think of them._**

 ** _Shepard._**

 ** _Janice._**

 ** _...Anne..._**

 ** _I'm so sorry Anne..._**

* * *

Thursday June 18 - solve this problem: [5(36)] + sin(15) = X - cos(72)

1600 hours

 ** _STOP SENDING ME THIS STUPID PROBLEM!_**


	2. Defiance

Friday June 19 - previous test inconclusive: why do you resist?

0400 hours

Why do I resist?

Why do I resist...

Because I refuse to be slave to you. I refuse to give up on the land of the free. With my last breath I will fight. I may have lost my leg in the war, but I stand against everything you are.

You will pay for what you've done.

Saturday June 20 - are you enjoying your stay?

1200 hours

Really.

Oh yes this 5 star hotel is fantastic. The pool is amazing and the view is just breath taking.

Are you brain dead!?

What is wrong with you!?

You ripped me away from my family and shoved me

in a 6 by 6 foot box with nothing in it, I haven't showered in days, There is shit and piss on the floor and the smell is worse then my aunt Lynn's green bean casserole. I'm starving. Your stupid blue meal pills or whatever they are are only enough to keep me from passing out. You are sick.

So yeah. My stay, just fucking fantastic...

Monday July 3 - who are you?

0700 hours

It's been awhile but I thought you asked this already.

Tuesday July 4 - previous test inconclusive: who are you?

1200 hours

I am a man. Who misses his family. I'm trying to remember... Their faces, the way they laughed, how they smiled...

Anne...

God being without you is worse than death...

Thursday July 6 - how do you feel?

0800 hours

I'm starving.

I'm covered in shit.

I miss my family.

I'm a slave.

Thursday July 6 - why did you escape?

0900 hours

Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice Anne Shepard Janice

Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne. Anne.

Thursday July 6 - previous test inconclusive: why did you escape?

1200 hours

What is the point in living if I'm without them...

I woke up this morning to my surprise I was clean. My clothes were changed and the room was spotless. I still had my beard and wild hair but for once the smell of shit was gone. I was relieved but only for a second. _There's a way out..._ if they could get me clean there must be a way out. I jumped up from the cold floor and examined the walls. Nothing, not even a single crack that could double as a door. Anger. I was boiling with uncontrollable anger. I started banging on the walls. "LET ME OUT YOU BASTARDS!" I ran between the walls using my body as a battering ram. "LET. ME. OUT." I sank to the floor.

The room was suddenly filled with blue light. _Great what do they want now..._ I walked over to the wall expecting to see my next experimental question displayed on the screen. Instead there was just a message;

Stop. If you damage yourself there will be consequences.

My first form of direct communication in weeks. I frowned and started writing;

Like what? Locking me up in a mini version of hell. Oh wait...

I sent it and rammed against the wall again, falling backwards more dazed this time. I shakily got back up and prepared to run once more when the familiar blue light showed. I shuffled over to see what the parasites had to say.

Your sarcasm will get you nowhere. Do you really want to destroy the new age of evolution?

 _Evolution? What do they mean by that..._ Regardless I really didn't want to find out. However their concern gave me an idea;

Watch me.


	3. Death of a Hero

I was getting out of here. Either they would come in and stop me or risk loosing whatever their experiment is.

I took off my shirt and ripped it down the middle several times. I started braiding the strands tightly and tied off the ends till I was left with a tight rope. I took off my pants and did the same then tied the two together. I pulled the ends to check the sturdiness, there was no way they were coming apart. I saw the blue light shine on the screen once more and I turned to see the message;

What are you doing?

I forced a laugh, "oh you'll see sweet cheeks, just wait." I started tying knots. The blue light flashed again;

I demand to know what you are doing.

"Patience young grasshopper." My heart started beating with anxiety when at last I was finished. There lied my way out, I held up my old clothes now fashioned into a makeshift noose. The light flashed again;

Don't do it.

"Figured it out huh? You're smarter than I thought." I started tying the noose to the metal tube in the ceiling which they used to dispense my food pills.

Stop. You won't accomplish anything by doing this.

"I'll be free from you, I think that's a pretty good accomplishment." I tightened the noose and tugged the rope, perfect.

Stop! Don't do this!

I stood below the noose and looked up. I grabbed onto the metal tube and with all my strength I pulled myself up.

The screen began flickering like a strobe light.

STOP!

I leveled myself to the noose and stuck my head through. "I'm sorry Anne..." I was about to let go when the wall door swung open. I smiled. Here's my chance.


	4. Wasteland

I was faced by a blinding light and a woman engulfed in a lab coat. She had soft blonde hair with brown eyes and a smile that stretched across her face. She was one of them. It was easy to tell, apart from the fake emotion it had the scratch. Right above her collar bone was a symbol, looked somewhat like an X, that had been burned into her skin. Every one of them had one. It was their mark. I held myself up starring the creature down.

"Now now. Let's not be rash about this, you don't want to do that do you?" She smiled.

"Watch me bitch!" I yelled then spat at her feet.

"Come on now, don't you like it here?" Her smile widened. The shear plasticity of her made me sick.

"To tell you the truth. NO"

She started to advance towards me, just what I wanted.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! ILL LET GO!"

She slowly moved closer.

"Mr. Schwartz, you just need to calm down." She reached into her pocket and pulled something out.

A syringe with some strange liquid with something floating in it.

"You'll learn to love us. Everyone does." She got within distance and I leaped at her. We fought for the syringe but I had the upper hand. I disarmed her and within seconds her head was between my hands.

"Fat chance."I snapped her neck and her body went limp showing her true form. What use to be a woman in her late 20s morphed into a monstrous creature. It had an elongated body black as ash glittering with blue scales and a bright blue X on its collar. Its hands extended into claws and it stood on the balls of its feet. It's spine extended into a tail spiked at the bottom and its teeth, the most gruesome of features, looked like that of an anglerfish. I had no time to marvel at the demonic parasite I only had 5 minutes to get out. I barely slipped through the door as the emergency lockdown went off. My bare skin shivered under the chill of the room but I took off running. I ripped out my tracker band and dropped it on the ground and ran through the corridors.

"6543XX went that way!" I heard them running.

I ducked behind the corner and they ran past me before I continued. I jumped up on a desk and climbed into the ceiling being sure to hide my tracks. I army crawled through the rafters quickly but quietly.

"His tracker sir." I heard from below and I stopped moving and held my breath.

"Smart little insect. SPREAD OUT. we have a rogue experiment. We will not rest until he is brought back."

I heard them move out and I started inching on.

"You didn't think you could leave us so soon did you? Mr. Schwartz? "My blood went cold and a clawed hand exploded through the ceiling. "I can smell you..."

No time for special care I stuck the syringe into its hand and it howled in pain retreating. I crawled faster. It was like a scene from a zombie horror movie, claws broke through the ceiling beneath me all trying to grab at me and bring me down. I managed to make it past them with only a few scratches. My heart was exploding. I found an air duct with a straight drop down. I was running out of options, I braced myself and jumped. Lucky for me the fan was on. Most people would see this as a problem but the intense pressure of the air coming out kept me hovering just above the blades that would have otherwise neutered me. I had to think fast. I didn't like the idea but I didn't really have a choice. I struggled but I took of my prosthetic and flung it into the fan. It stopped but I knew it wouldn't hold. I climbed through just before my prosthetic snapped. _That's $500 I'll never get back..._ I was now faced with the outside world. For the first time I'm months I saw my city. But it wasn't my city anymore. Where there once was skyscrapers, clean oceans and blue skies now held a barren waste land covered in ash and the bones of my fellow people. I stood in shock but hardened in hate as I looked at the sky of red.

 _We hugged each other in the sewers, I knew it was for the last time._

 _They were getting smarter it was only a matter of time before they found us._

 _"Daddy...I'm scared" whispered Janice shakily._

 _"Shhh...it's ok sweetie...just stay quiet " Anne said desperately trying to reassure and quiet her daughter._

 _"We're going to be ok Jannie June." I lied._

 _"Dad I hear them, the ships." Cried Shepard._

 _"It's ok Shepard they won't find us.."I lied again. I knew what was going to happen._

 _"I love you Rob."_

 _"I love you too Anne "_

 _The ground above us avalanched down. Janice shrieked and I covered her mouth._

 _I looked into Anne's eyes for the last time "run."_

 _She looked in fear and reluctantly took off down the tunnels with our children ._

 _When they got a safe distance away I took out a mini makeshift bomb from my pack. I pulled the peg out and tossed the cylinder down the tunnel. I backed away and the bomb exploded sealing the tunnel passage. I was blown backwards and sunk in to the sewer water. Everything went white and all I heard was a thousand ringing bells. I felt their claws on me, and the stabbing of a tracker. That was all I could remember before everything went dark._


	5. Koda Chaytan

I ripped off a rusty metal pipe from the remains of an old building and used it as a cane. I stumbled but I hid behind an ally and waited for my target. I heard it on the phone. "Will do sir, we will secure the city." It hung up and proceeded past the ally. I bludgeoned the parasite and stumbled. I managed to drag it behind the trash can. I stripped it of its clothing and dressed myself in its uniformed clothes. "Ugly brute aren't ya," I said looking at its true form. I frowned. "Now for the fun part..." I grabbed its hand and hoisted it up grabbing hold of a claw. I bit my tongue as I scraped it into an X on my collar bone. Blood started rushing from the cut and I grabbed a nearby shredded cloth, maybe old curtains, and applied pressure to the wound. I heard their voices and footsteps coming. I dragged the body into the trash can and buried us under the rotting trash. The smell was enough to give me away from gagging so hard its smelt centuries old. I was able to see through a small dent in the corner. "MEOW" I looked in the corner and saw a mangy old cat. _Shoo ya little bastard you'll give me away_ I never was a fan of cats. "MEOW" he started pawing at the trash can. "What is it boy?" One of them said. "Find something?" I held my breath and closed my eyes, my heart stopped when they opened the trash can.

"Nothing but garbage. " they slammed it shut and my ears rang. I looked out the hole and saw it kneeling next to the cat. "Silly kitty. You have nothing to be afraid of " it's smile widened into an ungodly grin showing its enormous fangs. The cat shrieked but it didn't matter. Within seconds there was nothing left but a blood stain on its horrific teeth. It's long serrated tongue licked its lips and its head morphed back to normal. "Good kitty..." It said standing up. It took everything I had not to hurl. I waited for a good 5 minutes after the footsteps went away just to be safe then I climbed out of the trash can. The blood finally stopped and I managed to hijack one of their cruisers. I was a bit rusty but I managed to fly it back to Westfield. I was only stopped by security once but they let me pass when I revealed my "Mark" and followed it up with a huge plastic smile. I knew exactly where I was going, Camp Koda Chaytan.

I was in the outer border of the alien civilization I landed the cruiser outside the vast expanse of trees, untouched so far by the aliens. I grabbed my pipe and trudged through the trees. It was about an hour before I got to my first landmark. The tree had three branches missing in a row, seemed like nothing but to me it told me I was going in the right direction. I trudged on until I got to the old campfire grounds. It appeared deserted and rightfully so, however there was the pattern again. Three rock fire pits spread out in a line just far enough not to cause suspicion , but I knew. I struggled for about 3 more miles and tripped on a set of roots. I sat up and I found it, a small little rabbit hole. I shimmied through and it slowly got wider. I followed the dark tunnel blindly till I ran into a boarded wall. I felt across it and made out three small holes in a line in the middle of the wall. I sighed in relief and banged on the wall. "State your business " I heard a rough voice holler on the other side of the wall.

"It's Robin Schwarts. I esca..." Before I could finish I saw a light through a small hole under the door revealing a small indention in the soil leading to the other side. _Thank god I didn't step forward "_ well, are you coming?"

I slid under the wall ,pipe in hand, and made it to the other side. The light was bright and the smell was intoxicatingly hard to breathe. I heard a door slam shut and lock up, must be to seal off the little opening. I regained focus and saw a bulky man wearing cargo pants and a dirty tank top. Looking closer I saw he had a shaved head, tattoos, and was equipped with a shotgun.

"My god...it is you...you're alive " he said practically strangling me.

"Johnny?"

"In the flesh private."

Johnny was my partner in the war. He was in the craft next to me when I was shot out of the sky, he managed to duck out of the way and take down the enemy craft. I hadn't seen him in years.

"You haven't changed a bit Johnny." I chuckled

"Wish I could say the same to you " he gave a guilty smile as he looked at the empty spot where my leg use to be.


	6. Time flies when the world is ending

"Gibbs, our" He helped me up and handed me my pipe.

"new doc, should be able to fix you up."

"New doc?"

"Yeah, Phineas died least year. You're kids will never believe this."

"Johnny what do you mean?"

"They miss you terribly, they're so grown up and..."

"Grown up what are you talking about?"

"Well it's been awhile since they seen you Rob."

"Yeah , 2 months."

He turned and looked at me.

"2 months? Rob, you've been gone for 3 years..."

I stumbled and Johnny struggled to catch me.

"3...years..."

"You don't remember?"

"No...It feels like it's July ..."

"It is. Except it's July 2035."

"What ...no...it can't..."

I was getting dizzy. "It can't be..."

I was going to vomit. "It can't..." I passed out.

 _"Have you seen the news Rob?" Anne said while cooking breakfast._

 _"No, what's going on now?" I said sipping my coffee._

 _"A star went supernova just outside our solar system. It knocked out one of our satellites and sent off some strange solar waves. They warned us that we might lose power sometime this week." She said putting the pan in the sink._

 _"That's odd." I said and she gave me a goofy smile._

 _"Jannie June your breakfast is ready!" Anne yelled up the stairs._

 _"Coming mommy!" Janice replied running down the stairs in her perfectly pink outfit clutching her teddy bear._

 _"Morning daddy!" She said kissing my cheek._

 _"Morning sweet heart." I smiled. "How's Mr. Fluffy doing today?"_

 _"He's good." She said hugging her bear._

 _"French toast with powdered sugar for the princess" she set the plate down in front of her giving her a kiss on the forehead._

 _"And a ham omelet for the king " she smiled as she handed me the plate and kissed me._

 _"Shepherd, come down you'll be late for school!" Anne yelled up the stairs._

 _"Whatever mom, give me a minute."_

 _She shook her head and looked at me._

 _I gave an apologetic smile. "Shepard listen to your mother."_

 _"I'm coming. I'm com..."_

 _The house began to shake violently._

 _"Robin.." Anne said clutching the counter._

 _"DADDY!" Janice squealed clutching her teddy bear tighter._

 _Shepard rushed down the stairs with a frantic stare._

 _"WHATS GOING ON!?"_

 _I stood up and looked outside and saw my worst fear._

 _"GET IN THE SHELTER NOW!" I yelled._

 _We ran downstairs and lifted up the medal door in the floor._

 _The house shook harder._

 _"Quickly quickly!"_

 _Anne helped Janice down and I hoped in after her. We managed to shut the door right before everything caved in..._


	7. Spies and soldiers

"Rob...Robin...ROBIN."

I opened my eyes and I was in a room sealed off in plastic. I tried to move my arms but I couldn't. As my vision cleared I could see that I was strapped down on some desk. I looked up and was faced with the barrel of a gun.

"He's one of them. Look." Said a man I've never seen before.

"He has the mark, that's for certain." Said an old man. He seemed like a rather happy old man, with rounded cheeks, wrinkles, a clean shaven face with only slight hint of white hair. He wore glasses with an old warn down plaid golf cap and had a stephe scope around his neck. _That must be Gibbs._

"That's impossible! This is Rob we are talking about! He's not one of them! I mean how the fucking hell would he know where camp was?" Protested Johnny.

"He could be another spy!" Yelled the man holding the gun. He had anger in his dark brown eyes. His hair looked messy and he had a small goatee under his lip.

"Then what do you propose we do, Felix?" Said Gibbs.

" we shoot the bastard" Felix said coldly.

"THATS CRAZY!" yelled Johnny.

"It's the only way Johnny." Reasoned Felix.

"Don't you dare call me that." Glared Johnny,

" fine, John. But still that doesn't change what needs to be done." He said cocking the gun.

"DONT DO THIS"

"Shut up John! This fucker had it coming!" Felix said eyes fixed on me.

I coughed and managed to squeak out a few words.

"I'm...not...one...of them" I coughed again.

Felix hesitated.

"I...bleed." I coughed again.

Felix looked at Gibbs then at Johnny.

"We'll go on! See if it bleeds!"

Gibbs looked at Johnny then at Felix who motioned him forward. Gibbs looked at Johnny and laid out his hand. Johnny rushed past him taking out his knife from his pocket.

"Or you can do it then..." Huffed Gibbs.

Johnny flipped open the knife making a small incision in my arm, I winced as the blood flowed.

"See." Said Johnny challenging Felix.

Felix glared but put his gun away.

"Set him free Johnn..." Johnny flashed Felix a look." John. And Gibbs, patch him up will ya." Felix demanded as he stormed out of the room.

" sorry buddy, I tried to warn them but they saw your cut and well, yeah." He said releasing my neck restraint. I gasped for air. "...Thanks buddy." I smiled

"Anytime." He smiled back releasing the other restraints.

I sat up and rubbed my neck.

"This might sting a bit," said Gibbs as he applied some disinfectant on my cut. I winced. "Sorry," he apologized.

"Your fine..." I said as he bent over to retrieve some cheese wrap. He began bandaging my arm and tapped the end off. "There good as new, well sort of. Now let's see what we can do about that missing leg of yours." He smiled as he left the room.

Johnny leaned against the wall and looked at me. "Has it really been 3 years Johnny..." I said looking at him.

He shot me a look of pity, "yeah...it has."

I sighed and shook my head.

"That means Janice is...10 now...and Shepard wow... " I paused, "19..."I said in disbelief.

"Yeah...they're a lot like you Rob." He forced a laugh then smiled. " A LOT like you."

"What do you mean Johnny?"

" well for one they are stubborn as shit." I laughed lightly.

"Is that so?"

"Umm hmmm. And their damn good fighters."

I looked at him. " fighters?...Fighters! You let my children fight in this war!" My blood was boiling.

"Easy Rob.. I was against it. They volunteered. Lord knows there's No stopping those two...shepherds an excellent scout and fighter Rob, and Janice is the best nerve we ever had."

I relaxed an thought for a bit.

"Can I see them?"

"Absolutely. I'll go get them." He said quickly exiting the room.

 _3 years... Janice is 10...Shepard...he's an adult...they're soldiers..._


	8. Secrets

Daddy?..." A sweet voice broke my train of thought. I looked up to see a completely different girl.

"Jannie June?" I answered.

"DADDY!" She ran up to me and hugged me.

"IMISSEDYOUOHMYGODITHOUGHTYOUWEREDEAD" she blurted while hugging me.

I was in tears. "My beautiful baby...my god you've grown." I held her tighter than I had held anything before for fear that she might slip away from me again, like sand on the beach.

"Dad?" I heard a foreign manly voice but I knew who it was.

"Shepherd! Dads back!" Squealed Janice hugging her brother.

"DAD!" Shepherd said rushing over. I hugged him. "MY BOY...MY BOY..." I was bawling. I held onto my children never wanting to let go. I opened my eyes to see Johnny standing there smiling wiping a tears from his eyes. I smiled and whispered; " _thank you..."_ He smiled and nodded. After awhile we pulled away and I smiled.

"Where's your mom?" I smiled wider but to my surprise Janice's face dropped.

"What's wrong...where's your mother?" I said More concerned.

Janice backed up and looked at Johnny, "you didn't tell him?"

Johnny looked down.

"Tell me what?" I looked at Johnny, "Johnny, where the hell is Anne."

Johnny looked up with tears in his eyes, "I tried Rob...I'm sorry...I tried..." He said guiltily.

"Dad..." Shepherd said with a firm expression.

"They have her...they have mom."

Nothing could've prepared me for this. My heart dropped out of my chest.

"Anne..."

"Kids maybe it's best if you give your father some room ok." Said Johnny shuffling the kids out of the room.

"I'm sorry Rob..." He said putting his hand on my back trying to reassure me.

"No..." I said swatting him away, "NO! YOU BASTARD" I lunged at him and he struggled to hold me down.

"I NEED ASSISTANCE!" He yelled out the door.

 _We were huddled next to each other. "Rob, what's going on?"_

 _The ground shook and we huddled closer in fear._

 _"We're being invaded." The ground shook again harder this time._

 _"Terrorist?" Anne said worriedly._

 _"Most likely..." I replied._

 _Janice was quivering. "Are we going to die daddy?"_

 _"No sweetie..." I said rubbing her head. "We'll be just fine, trust me."_

 _The ground shook again and Janice quivered into my chest._

 _"Guess I'm not going to school today huh..." Said Shepard._

 _"Not for a while." I laughed. The door rumbled and dust fell from the ceiling of the shelter._

 _"What do we do now" said shepherd._

 _"We could come up with names for the baby?" Said Anne with a smile. I admired how she could still find something happy in the mist of a bad situation._

 _"If it's a girl..." She questioned._

 _"Fern!" Giggled Janice, god how I loved her laugh._

 _"Willow." Said Shepard._

 _"That's a pretty name. And if it's a boy..."_

 _"Hmmmm" thought Janice._

 _"Neo. " smiled Shepard._

 _"Neo? Oh I really like that!" Smiled Anne._

 _"Yeah he's in my comic book, He's a super soldier!" Said Shepard excited._

 _"Neo. So it's Fern if it's a girl and Neo if it's a boy" she smiled._

 _The ground shook interrupting our special moment..._


	9. Bright Side

ANNE!" I screamed as two men held me down.

"Mr. Schwartz, please calm down..." Said Gibbs.

"YOU! " I said starring at Johnny who was now standing in the doorway. "YOU LET THEM TAKE MY WIFE!"

"Me!? I was the one who tried to save her you dip shit!" He said now standing over me.

"If it weren't for me she would've been dead!" He yelled, I glared at him and relaxed my muscles,

"Get off of me!" I yelled to the people holding me down, they complied. I sat up putting my face in my hands.

"How'd it happen...Johnny " my voice cracked out.

He sighed and sat on the desk next to me. "It was about 2 and a half years ago. We were under attack during a supplies run. Anne was having serious cravings and we figured it was only a matter of time...you know. During the run someone...someone tripped an alarm. Within seconds we were surrounded. Your son and I protected Anne and the baby. One of the aliens shot at the ceiling with this strange gun...then all hell broke loose. The ceiling collapsed and I shoved Anne out of the way. Your son manages to escape the rafters but I got trapped underneath em. He tried to help me out of the rubble but when he turned around they were gone. Shepard was furious Rob, he swore on his life that he'd do anything to get his mom back. He thought he already lost his chance of getting you back, he wasn't about to lose anyone else. We don't know why they took Anne, but we do know where she is."

I looked at him and leaped out of bead stumbling with my one leg. I grabbed onto his shoulders; " where Johnny, where is Anne..."

"Mr. Schwartz , take it easy" said a concerned Gibbs.

"It's ok Gibby, " said Johnny. He looked at me with sad eyes. "Vince and Raven our scouts helped Shepard track her down...she's in the heart of the metropolis Rob...it'll be damn near impossible to get her back."

I slouched then looked at him desperately; " we need to try Johnny... We need to try."

The news was far to much for me in one day and I was getting dizzy again.

"Sit down private, I'm not gonna have you passing out on me again." He helped me up to the table once more.

"God I wish I knew if she was ok..." I said into my hands.

"You and me both kid..." He said scratching his head.

"Well...I believe some good news is in order " smiled Gibbs,

"I talked to Bernie and Mac and they said they should be able to fix you up a new leg in a few days."

"How's that doc?" I said hopelessly.

"Well we are in an old coal mine, there's tons of old crap they can use!" The old man smiled.

"Look on the bright side private, you'll be walking normally again in a few days." Johnny smiled.

All I could do was frown. I didn't care if I could walk for 10 or even a thousand miles, I wanted my family back and I'd do anything to retrieve it.


	10. Anne

2.5 years earlier...

I woke up in a white room held down by restraints, the light was blinding. I tried to remember how I got here, _the walls came down, Johnny pushed me out of the way, the injection in my neck...something piercing my arm..._ then nothing. I couldn't remember anything else. I regained vision and saw a figure standing in front of me. It was horrifying; large fangs lengthy arms that ended into claws, the glowing X on its chest, and large black eyes like a black hole. I wanted to scream but I couldn't. It smiled at me with gruesome teeth then looked over across from itself. On the opposite side was another one...smiling. My heart was beating faster and I opened my mouth but there was nothing, not even a sound. _What have they done to me..._ I looked at the one two my left with tears in my eyes. It pointed a dagger like claw to my enlarged stomach and I was filled with fear. The other immediately scanned it with some sort of remote like thing and showed if to the other. I was able to get a glimpse of the picture, my unborn child. I was panicking. What did the want with my baby? The one to my left flicked it's long tail and retrieved a tool from the cart. It grabbed it and pressed its claw onto its sensor. To my horror a blade came spinning out from the device. My eyes got wide and I tried screaming again but to no avail. The monster touched the saw to my skin and I was inflicted with fiery pain. I tried screaming yet no sound exited my lips. I could only watch in terror as they ripped me open. I could barely stay awake through the pain. Blood was everywhere leaving me light headed. I remembered glimpses of the procedure. I saw them folding back my skin, cutting open my placenta, removing my child, the container, then I blanked out.

 _"Rob, I'm getting hungry..."_

 _"I know honey..."_

 _We've been in here for days and the rations were running scarce._

 _"It's been awhile...maybe we could step outside and find some supplies?" Asked shepherd sleepily._

 _"Yeah " yawned Janice "I'm hungry too..."_

 _Robin sighed._

 _"Alright " he said with a smile. "Put your gear on though it might not be safe outside."_

 _We put on our protective black jumpsuits, they looked a bit like scuba gear, and out helmets. It wasn't unusual for families to have these suits nowadays, especially after the war. Rob climbed ip the stairs and turned the handle. He struggled but managed to push up the door. Rubble fell to the floor enveloping the room in a cloud of black ash._

 _"Come on." Said Rob as he left the bunker. He checked the radiation levels outside. "Safe to breathe you can remove your helmets" he yelled down. We removed our helmets and climbed up._

 _I was not prepared for what I saw, everything was destroyed. There were bodies littering the landscape._

 _I had already felt queasy this morning but that did it, i vomited the small bit of food I had left in my stomach._

 _"Who could do such a thing..." I said in horror._

 _"Well whatever it was it wasn't human..." Said Rob standing over a body._

 _I walked over next to him and saw the charred remains of some creature. It had sharp teeth and claws, definitely not human..._

 _I was shaking "Robin ..."_

I slowly opened my eyes and I was I a small room with a screen in one wall. I sat up and saw that I was in white clothes. I stood still shaky on my feet. I looked at the screen and noticed how small my belly was. instantly I remembered the procedure. It felt like a slideshow was playing in my head , _blood, the saw, my skin folded open , the baby..._ I shakily lifted up my shirt and saw a horrific sight. Scars covering my entire abdomen. They looked old, _how long have I been out..._

The screen flashed an unearthly blue color. I watched as a message popped up;

Welcome Anne Schwartz. We hope you enjoy your stay. You have been chosen to be a test subject. As you may already know we have removed your fetal baby. The fetus is being used as a test subject to see how humans grow and develop and how they react to different stimuli at a young age. You will be used to track the emotional state of human beings. You will be receiving a series of test questions throughout your stay. Thank you for your cooperation.


	11. Grips with reality

_Test subject..._ The shear thought terrified me. I fiddled around with the screen and formed a blank document;

Where is my baby?

I sent it and paced the room waiting for a reply.

He is fine. He is in his first stages of development outside the incubator.

 _He...it's a boy...and he's alive._ I started writing frantically;

What have you done to him

Nothing yet.

My blood was boiling.

FIRST MY HUSBAND NOW My BABY!?

Please stay calm miss and enjoy your stay.

HOW CAN I ENJOY LIFE WHEN CREATURES LIKE YOU TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME!

You're being foolish mrs. Schwartz. Everything will be fine.

FINE? FINE! YOU RIPPED ME OPEN AND TOOK MY BABY!

A minor inconvenience, you refuse to look at the big picture here. We are making the world better.

YOU ARE NOTHING BUT MONSTERS! FUCK YOU! GIVE ME BACK MY BABY!

If you don't calm down miss we will have to result to extremes.

GIVE ME MY SON!

Nothing. For an hour maybe two there was nothing. All I felt was anger, I wanted them dead.


	12. Escape

Nothing. For an hour maybe two there was nothing. All I felt was anger, I wanted them dead. They stole my baby they killed my husband and all I could do was watch. My blood boiled I screamed and smashed the screen into a million glittering pieces. The blood dripped from my hands but I didn't care I slammed them into the wall then sunk to my knees. "Robin..." I said drowning in tears "oh Robin..." Suddenly the door opened and standing there was a woman in a long lab coat. She had soft blonde hair and brown eyes and a smile that stretched across her face. "Oh thank god!" I said as I hugged her. "Another human being! Please they have my son!" I said frantically as I ran out the door grabbing her arm.

"Relax mrs. Schwartz, everything is going to be fine. Are you enjoying your stay?" I let go of her hand.

"No...no no no...you're one of ... _them_."

It smiled and I was frozen in fear. It then turned to look in my room and shook it's head.

"Tisk tisk, breaking the communication monitor. The queen is not going to be happy about that." It said turning towards me. "Something tells me you're not enjoying your stay Anne." It advanced towards me. "Don't you like it here?" The creature was breathing down my shoulders. "We sure do..." It said sliding it's forked tongue down my neck. I lurched forward.

"Stay away from me!" I took off running.

The alarm sounded. Within seconds I was trapped, surrounded by them.

"Join us Anne. Live in a perfect world." They all said simultaneously. They looked so _human._

"We can fix your world Anne, we can make it better. We can make it perfect." Said the one in blonde.

"YOU TOOK MY SON!"

"Right you are. But he's ok. Only sleeping. " it gestured toward another creature holding the infant child. He had dark brown hair like his father... The child began to stir and its eyes fluttered open both eyes were blue like mine but the left one was unearthly. It glowed a in bizarre way but apart from that the pupil was in a ring instead of a circle, which was enough to make the hairs of my neck stand on end.

"What did you do to him." I said through my teeth. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BABY!?"

"You're baby? Don't you know that is the queens child." It smiled.

"HES MINE YOU STOLE HIM FROM ME" I lunged forward only to be healed down.

"HES MINE!" They restrained me from moving. I looked at the one in the lab coat who was now standing over me with a syringe.

"Relax mrs. Schwartz, remember it's just a minor inconvenience." I stared at the syringe that contained some foreign substance. I noticed that floating in it was a small worm like creature. I struggled to break free but it was no use.

"No matter, you will soon see things our way." She stuck the syringe into my arm and I screamed bloody murder. My wail echoed throughout the halls. The creature stepped back and my body began to spas out.

"Why are you doing this?" I cried.

"We are making way for the new evolution."

My skin was on fire. "You killed my husband..." I cried.

"Mrs. Schwartz did no one ever tell you?" The creature smiled. "He was in the cell next to you" it's smile widened and it walked away.

"Robin..." I said and that was a all I could remember.


End file.
